Kemron is the name of a drug which was released in
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
in 1991 and was alleged to be highly effective in removing the symptoms of
AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
. When put under international scrutiny, the treatment was seen to perform no better than
placebo
A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures.
Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...
. The advent of the drug was notable for the government support and international attention it received.
Claim
In August 1990, Kenyan researcher Davy Koech, director of the
Kenya Medical Research Institute
The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is a state corporation established through the Science and Technology (Amendment) Act of 1979, (since amended to the Sciences, Technology and Innovation Act 2013), during the tenure of Nicholas Biwott a ...
, announced that when his HIV patients chewed wafers laced with tiny amounts of
alpha interferon, most had greatly improved health and some cleared HIV from their blood entirely. The alpha interferon, named "Kemron" for this use, was a drug used to treat cancer in much greater doses.
In 1993, Professor
Arthur Obel, a Kenyan scientist, claimed that Kemron and another drug called
Pearl Omega could cure HIV/AIDS. Kemron was later proved to be ineffective and Pearl Omega had very few positive outcomes. Obel tested on patients with these drugs and these patients filed a lawsuit on Obel for testing unproven drugs on them. The government later denounced both drugs and Obel's reputation has been discredited.
Response
After reviewing the experimental data, internationally recognized AIDS experts and health officials in the United States said that there was no merit to the claim.
Kenyan president
Daniel arap Moi
Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the thi ...
announced that "Fifty AIDS victims have already been cured" and Koech dismissed the skepticism of Western scientists.
, a physician in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, claimed that 82% of AIDS patients at the Abundant Life clinic saw increases in their appetites and "other improvements."
Neither the World Health Organization nor the NIH found evidence that Kemron performed better than placebo.
Withdrawal of claim
Support of the drug proved to be an accomplishment for many of its supporters as the drug cured patients under controlled conditions.
The
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria (, ) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and ''de facto'' capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johan ...
and the
Government of South Africa
The Government of South Africa, or South African Government, is the national government of the Republic of South Africa, a parliamentary republic with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary ...
ultimately were not able to support the claim of the drug's efficacy.
References
{{reflist
HIV/AIDS in Kenya
Science and technology in Kenya
Antiretroviral drugs